


Dreams Made of Diamonds

by TellThemNaegi



Series: The Road We Walked [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Friendships, Explicit Language, Gen, It's Mondo and Miu, Mixed feelings, Mondo PoV, Psychological Trauma, Strength Complex, mostly anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-26 18:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20393839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TellThemNaegi/pseuds/TellThemNaegi
Summary: Mondo wants to be a carpenter. It's not his dream, not really, but a chance of success in life. A life without the gang he dedicated his sweat, tears and blood. The last in more ways than one.Are his dreams realistic? Not for a no-good delinquent like him - He thinks.Makoto Naegi thinks differently. He thinks differently about everything. And Mondo can't understand him. Will they see eye-to-eye, or are they both equally stubborn in their own ways?





	Dreams Made of Diamonds

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the steam sale, I got to replaying Mondo's FTEs and they reminded me of how much I liked the guy.

“What’d ya call me out for? We got a fight?” Mondo Owada walks down a wide alley. A stray cat crouched atop a garbage bin hisses and growls at the impatience and irritation in his loud voice. “Bite me.” His gruff fingers graze against his lips, wiping off the bloodstains. He craned his head backwards at the snickering. “You guys better remember I don’t handle surprises that well…and I’m still revved up from earlier.”

“It’s somethin’ like that...but boss, if you were gonna rough up some of those assholes, you could’ve called some of us.”

Every now and then, some gang shows up and thinks they can take on the Crazy Diamonds. Mondo couldn’t be bothered to remember _all_ their names, didn’t need to when a few good whacks to the right skulls was all it took to solve the problem. That’s what it means to be the top of the food chain in Japan.

“I didn’t need any backup.” As the leader, Mondo always walked in front, ready to meet whatever idiots stood in their way head-on. For the team. “It’s better if we’ve got everyone good and ready for the big fight next month.” Against a rival group slightly more troublesome than the usual.

Although normally, Mondo had a few more hands helping him out even against his orders. “Where’s Mitchy?”

He got his answer, not even 3 minutes later in the non-verbal form of a brawl in one of their “privatized” alleys. A crowd of delinquents eagerly observe the spectacle. Curious, Mondo stepped to the front. The other gang members parting like the red sea for him.

What Mondo saw…wasn’t worth seeing at all.

Takemichi stood over one unremarkable, brown-haired boy. He looked vaguely familiar, in the sense that you could see someone like him anywhere.

“He’s losing again…”

Mondo heard mocking remarks of that nature. 

What’s the big deal about one kid? He got a bone to pick with Mitchy?” The gang-leader asked.

“Not really…”

The biker returned his attention to the fight, in the loosest fucking sense of the word. The kid got up, his shirt scruffy, body bruised and…bandages ripped. “He’s got guts at least.” But guts aren’t worth a dime without the strength to back it up.

Any weakling who jumps into a fight they can’t win, is just an idiot.

_'Right, Daiya?'_

Mondo turned away from the squabble, at the time thinking it was little more than a play fight.

* * *

School was boring. Turns out this fancy pants Hope’s Peak Academy wasn’t any different. It was a shock when the scout showed up (how the he found their hideout was a mystery even now) and told Mondo he’d be set for life by attending. Even weirder is that his entry ticket in, was his status as a delinquent.

And he wasn’t even the worst of the lot. Mondo’d gotten into fights with the police but that’s as far as he went. But apparently there were trained killers or mobster-types allowed to go there too. “The whole place is messed up.”

But he’d be fine with that if there was something _to do._ Go to class? He’d stopped halfway on the first _week. _Teachers didn’t care or give penalties either. All he had to do was pass practical exams and for the rest…he could do whatever he wanted. That’s what was expected of him.

Mondo spat on the street. The logic felt like a roundabout insult.

Then, there was that uptight asslicker, Ishimaru. He’d started bang on Mondo’s dorm room every morning and afternoon to ask why he wasn’t in class. The funny part? The crazy bastard did it on a schedule! Mondo learned when and where the moral compass would show up and just ditched the dorms to go outside.

“Ishimaru’s an idiot…but he knows what he wants and tries to get it.” Mondo respected that. He could also tell the moral compass had a strong physique. He’d be down for a fight, but chances of that were slim with a guy who has a stick shoved that far up his ass.

For the first few weeks of his enrollment in Hope’s Peak, Mondo concluded this academy wouldn’t help him with his dream, but it wouldn’t impair it either. So he had no problems.

“Again?” It was a whim on Mondo’s part, to check in on the guys. That spiky-haired kid from the other day was back, picking a fight with Takemichi.

It’d have been one thing if the runt had upped his game, maybe brought along a knife, or even friends (like that’d help), but nothing changed. He just got the shit kicked out of him like last time, doing the same damn thing.

Mondo could tell by looking that he was…below average as a fighter.

A better question at this point, was why Takemichi was putting up with this. “What’s Mitchy doing playing with that twerp?” Mondo asked.

“Consensus is he’s happy to find someone his size to play with for once.”

“You’ll be eatin’ dirt if he heard that.” The purple-eyed boy cracked a grin regardless. The brawl only lasted a few seconds longer. Takemichi knocked the guy flat out. Later, the onlookers carried him out of there to god knows where.

Meanwhile, Mondo confronted his right-hand man

Takemichi Yukimaru whistles upon sighting him. “Even you, Mondo? If I knew this’d become an attraction, I’d start charging.”

“What’s this all about? If you’re looking for practice, go hit a gym.”

“S’that what it looks like?” Mitchy scratches his hair.

“What’s that guy’s beef?”

“The twins picked this up.” Mitchy pulled out a light wallet. Pick up, was short for “raided and spent everything that was in there”

“Now he wants it back.” Mondo stumbled onto the punchline.

“I told him if he wants it back. He has to beat me in a fight.”

“You’re way too soft.” He understood now why the short blonde was wasting his time. You pick a fight with one of the diamonds and you fight all of them. That’s how gangs worked. But, if they’re making a show like this, nobody’s gonna care.

“Doubt we’ll be seeing him again though.” Mondo said.

“Nah. He’ll probably be back tomorrow.”

Mondo furrowed his eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

“You know the saying; what happens twice will happen a third time?”

“Yeah so?” Mondo nods.

“This was round 7.”

…

* * *

Mondo’s doubt was proven wrong as he watched the boy come again, and again _and again. _The guys spectated like it was a boxing match. They even threw money around, of course, barely any of it was for the challenger. That’s what set Mondo off. It was plain as day that the kid was never going to win. What was he trying to prove?

Today, Mondo would get an answer.

“Mitchty, back off.” Mondo told his friend, who gave him a strange look. Ordinarily, a man’s fight wasn’t the sort of thing for anyone to butt into, but seeing Mondo’s expression, Takemichi decided not to argue.

The injured guest’s eyes softened when he took in Mondo’s form

“Scram, kid. We don’t have enough hospitality to be babysitting someone with _this_ much free time.” Mondo stared down the spiky brunet who didn’t reach his chest level.

“I…only want what you guys stole from me.” His voice was every bit as squeamish as the biker imagined.

“Whatever’s worth spending in there’s gone already.”

“That’s not important. Just give it back, Owada-kun!” He yelled, frustrated. More importantly, he yelled Mondo’s name.

Mondo's eyebrows raised, then lowered. He chalked the familiarity to his infamy.

“That ain’t how this works.” Mondo composed himself. “It’s nothing personal, but survival of the fittest and all that. We give back your shit and it makes us look weak.” Word gets out that they gave into a twink like this and the Crazy Diamonds would become a joke. That’s the one thing Mondo would never let happen. As long as he was the leader…he’d never let the gang fall that low. He promised Daiya. To always be strong, for the Diamonds.

“That’s not _my_ problem. You’re the ones in the wrong here.” With unwavering defiance, the average boy judged them all. The only gang member among the dozens present whose stature was like his, was Takemichi.

Mondo suppressed his rising anger best he could. “You’ve got guts. I like that so I’ll do you a solid.” The blonde wasn’t a monster and he wasn’t a bully either. He could be reasonable. “What’s your name?”

The boy winced at the question. “Makoto…Naegi.” He answered, in a pout. From that, Mondo could tell this guy was a total softie. Giving up a name just because he asked?

“Okay, Naegi. What’d Mitchy promise you?”

“He’d…return my belongings if I won.”

“I’ll do you two, better. I’ll return your wallet and _personally_ apologize and all you gotta do is make me flinch.” Mondo’s declaration had jeers springing forth from the crowd.

“Is that a good idea?” Takemichi asked.

“You think there’s a chance I’ll lose?”

“_I think_ you’ll fly off the handle.”

“Let em fight, Mitchy!” An irresponsible hand slung over Takemichi’s shoulder. The sentiments were shared by the majority.

“Maybe he’s worried the boss’ll steal his boyfriend.” The commenter’s teeth flew out of his mouth shortly after.

“Fucking clowns.” Mondo sighed and returned his attention to the outsider

“I just have to make you flinch?” Naegi hesitated.

“If you can’t even do that. You’re wasting all our time.”

The boy balled his hand into a shaky fist. Mondo could see his uncertainty even better up close.

Mondo was courteous enough to give Naegi all the time he needed. Eventually, he crossed the distance, pulling his arm back and swung at Mondo.

The biker made no attempt to move, defend or counter. He just let the punch hit square against his chest…and not phase him in the slightest.

Naegi looked up surprised.

“Yeah that’s about right.” Mondo deadpanned. A chorus of jeers and laughter erupted, all directed at the lightest punch Mondo had ever received. The spiky haired boy pulled back, but his eyes turned upwards to him. He’d been thoroughly humiliated, but his gaze said he hadn’t given up.

Though the clowns mocking the kid didn’t get it, Mondo knew the weak blow wasn’t _just_ because Naegi was a boneless wimp. When Mondo called Naegi an awful fighter, he wasn’t referring to physicals. Whenever the dweeb threw a punch at Takemichi, he hesitated, like there was _actually_ a chance that he could hurt someone else.

It didn’t make sense and it was annoying. “My turn.” Mondo cracked his knuckles. The sight enough to scare most.

“Boss. Take it easy.” Takemichi called from behind.

Mondo took short steps to the frozen boy. Not frozen in fear, but something the biker couldn’t quite place.

Mondo threw a heavy punch. One everyone watching expected to flatten Naegi. And that had been Mondo’s intention. He wouldn’t hold back. Anything less wouldn’t stop the persistent visitor boy from coming back. 

Mondo hadn't expected his fist to freeze mere inches from the intruder’s face. It was an involuntary reaction at meeting Naegi’s hardened, unflinching gaze. The shorter boy’s punches tickled. Yet when faced with Mondo’s attack, he didn’t even blink.

From the start, it had bothered him. The way Naegi deceived Mondo’s preconceptions.

A thought crossed his mind. '_Did…did Naegi think I wasn’t going to hit him?’_

Mondo grit his teeth, grabbed the brunet by his shirt and lifted him into the air. “You looking down on me, asshole?!”

Naegi coughed, grabbing desperately at Mondo’s arm. But he still had that look in his eyes. He would never back down, no matter what Mondo did.

“You piece of shit.”

“Mondo?” He heard Takemichi call. He turned around to see the others giving him odd looks. “The hell are you spazzing out for?”

“Tch.” Mondo clicked his tongue and dropped Naegi. “Do whatever you want.” The taller male walked away, through the gangsters who made way for him. Mondo had no destination in mind.

There was anywhere else to go.

He kicked down a garbage bin on his way through the back alley.

*Hiss*

He heard the growl from the same black cat. “Get lost!” Mondo roared. The animal quickly fled in response to his outburst.

Finally, a reaction that actually made sense.

* * *

Mondo leaned back on a park bench, not far off his apartment building. He lifted his head up to the vast sky. A common sight that reminded him of how small he was. The sky was the limit or so the saying goes, but there was something above even that right?

Meanwhile he was stuck down here.

Would it always be this way? Or is there a chance he’ll move up.

…

With nothing to do, he coasts from one pointless thought to another. The biker was almost happy when that peace was disrupted. Almost. If the cause wasn’t a bunch of ugly, brick faced morons.

“What the fuck do you want?” Mondo brazenly looked down on the growing crowd of thugs, legs crossed. A closer inspection showed each of them wearing the insignia of a rival group “Unless my memory’s fucked up. Our date wasn’t for a few days.”

“Word has it you’ve been hanging around here. We’d be idiots to not use that chance.”

“You ain’t wrong there.” Mondo stood, unphased by the difference in numbers. That’s how things are. Fairness doesn’t play into it and running was never an option. “Whoever wants to get their teeth bashed in step forward.”

And _did they._ Bunch of pussies wouldn’t have dared look in his direction if they hadn’t come at him in a pack.

…

Well, if they’d come alone, he’d probably have an even lesser opinion of them at the moment.

“No need to think about that guy.” He muttered to himself.

It was only after the 6th downed body did Mondo realize he wasn’t getting anywhere. He swore there were even more of them now, and some of them with blunt weapons. Mondo felt like he’d cracked his bone punching them.

A wooden plank bashed against the back of Mondo’s skull. A pink color coats his face, blinds his vision and has him staggering forward, falling onto his knees.

“…Fuck.”

“Not looking so tough now, are you?”

Mondo could barely make out what was said or who said it. The concussion scrambles his thoughts.

(He had to get up. He isn’t allowed to lose.)

But his legs don’t move. Even as he’s ensnared by his attackers.

“Um…c-could you get away from him?” said a meek voice that grated Mondo’s ears. He wouldn’t have heard it, had he not already been familiar. He lifted his head to look past the gang. His vision was finally able to regain focus.

What the hell was he doing here? – That persistent Makoto Naegi.

“You looking for a hospital?” The thugs were dismissing of him. “Looks more like you just came from one. Beat it.”

“I can’t. He’s my classmate so…um…could you let him go?”

“Gimme one good reason.”

“That depends…It’ll probably take some time to get your unconscious friends and get out of the area too…” Naegi began. He was an ordinary teenager. When faced with a situation this dire, he did what any law-abiding citizen would do. “I called the police a while back.” The sirens in the far distance punctuated his declaration.

If fury and threats could be loaded and shot, Naegi would be ridden with bullets. Instead, the closing sirens deter the gang as they scramble. Some ran off, others had the decency to pick up their own.

“Hanging out with rats? The crazy diamonds ain’t much after all.” Was the parting gift the last left Mondo.

Something snapped in the biker. “Come say that to my fucking face!” That wasn’t going to happen, of course. In short order, he was left alone with the brunet.

“Owada-kun.” Naegi approached him and extended his hand.

Mondo didn’t give a shit about the searing pain all over his body. He slapped away the gesture.

At last his legs obeyed. The purple-eyed was quick to his feet, startling Naegi. “What kinda pansy are you? Calling the fucking cops!?”

“I-it’s not like I could help you _fight_ those guys…I’m not strong at all.” Naegi stuttered.

“Why the fuck did you keep coming back to _us_ for then?!”

With more determination this time, Naegi replied “My sister gave me a good luck charm in that wallet to celebrate my high school debut. It’s important to me but…not as much compared to your life.”

“My…life?” Mondo said slowly and, wide-eyed.

Flashes of that night came to him. A race. His recklessness. His brother. And a stomach-churning crash.

His hands shook “You think they could get to me? You sayin’ I’m weak!?”

“What? I never said that.” Naegi was completely oblivious and was standing much too close.

Mondo saw red.

“FUCK YOU!” He roared.

The delinquent couldn’t have been blinded for long, but when he came to, Naegi was unconscious, sprawled out on the ground a notably greater distance than where he’d been standing just moments ago.

Mondo robotically checked to see his fist outstretched. He heard car tires screech around the corner “Shit. I gotta split.” His body didn't agree. His legs were hard as concrete and his gaze wouldn’t leave the fallen.

Accepting an offer of assistance involving the police was an insult to everything Mondo stood for. He wasn’t a good man. Far from it, he was scum in the eyes of the law. If he passed by a one-sided fight that had nothing to do with him, he’d look the other way and sleep like a baby.

But Naegi only stuck his nose in this to help him out, without anything in it for him (nothing Mondo could see). To turn his back on a kid who’d extended his hand to get him out of a bad scrape…forget being a good man, he’d be worse than scum.

* * *

Night had set in when Naegi woke up in Mondo’s apartment. It wasn’t the homeliest looking place, but it got the job done as a getaway for hangouts.

Naegi lifted his body from the sofa.

“You alright?” Mondo asked.

“I…think so.” He winced the second he touched his cheek.

“Here.” Mondo hands Naegi a cold glass of water. Naegi cautiously accepts the offering.

“What happened?” He says after a chug.

Shame creeps in. “Sorry. I hit you pretty bad.”

A flash of disappointment appears Naegi’s features. A thin smile replaces it. “Thanks.”

Mondo’s brow lifts “For…hitting you?”

“No. I mean, you had to carry me out of there, right? It must have been rough with your injuries.”

“Nope, you’re light as hell.” Mondo blinks.

Naegi’s cheeks tainted pink. He laments his scrawny physique.

“Not like it’d matter. You could’ve weighed a ton and I’d still have gotten you out there.” Mondo said resolutely. “I’m strong.” He seeks convince himself more than the person across him.

“S-Sure you are.” Naegi quickly holds up his hands, like Mondo would punch him again. Well, it wasn’t like he’s not justified thinking that. “You fought all those guys long enough for the police to arrive. I’d have gotten knocked out with one blow.” He quiets.

“Sorry.” Mondo apologizes.

“What can I say? I make a lame impression.” Naegi said “But even a loser like me has his own ways of fighting back.”

“Like tattling?” The biker’s unimpressed. There were things a man doesn’t do and Naegi violated one of the biggest codes in Mondo’s world. If word of that got out…

Naegi frowned. “If…that’s what you want to call it, but I’d rather not risk regret just to keep my ego afloat.”

“Regret?”

Mondo grit his teeth. This guy unnerved him like nobody he’d ever met, because Mondo couldn’t say he was wrong, and he couldn’t beat him into submission either. This case wasn't an exception. He had regret in spades, and all because he was a cocky dumbass.

“…You said you were an older brother, right?” Mondo doesn’t know why he talks. But he does. He’s not much for thinking about difficult matters anyway.

“Yeah. I have a little sister, Komaru.”

It wasn’t the same, but close enough. “Let’s say she does somethin’ real fucking stupid and… you gotta bail her out, and it gets you in a shitload of trouble. How would you feel?” His clumsiness can’t be helped. Discussing personal matters with another was an expression of vulnerability. It’d be out of the question with his mates.

“Hm…I’d be pretty angry. Then we’d have a serious talk, I guess.”

“You don’t get that chance!” Mondo snapped. Again, more at himself, than his conversation partner.

Luckily, Naegi was quick to read the mood. These inquiries weren’t made in light or passing. Thus, the spiky-haired boy opted for a more elaborate response.

“Nobody likes getting dragged into other people’s problems. But everyone makes mistakes. As the older brother, it’s my job to cover hers. If you ask me, I’d rather be angry than deal what would happen if anything happened to Komaru, no matter what she did.”

Mondo thins his lips and closes his eyes. He remembers.

** _“M-My bad, kid... I fucked up. Sorry._ **

** _Hey, kid... The rest is up to you. No matter what, you gotta keep the gang together. Cuz it's the team...you and me put together. It's...a pr... a promise...between men...”_ **

Daiya hadn’t hated him, in his last moments. But maybe he hadn’t the time to really think it over. About how much Mondo had stolen from him. It was unforgivable, but that was Mondo’s opinion. He wasn’t his brother.

“Not sure if that answers your question…” Naegi continued.

“It’s enough. Thanks.” He didn’t even know why he asked. This midget was no Daiya either. But…Mondo couldn’t deny that he was feeling better. There was just one more mystery left for him to unravel.

“Hit me.” Mondo said out of the blue.

Naegi sharply tilts his head.

“To settle our fight from earlier. I don’t mean a weak ass punch like earlier. I want you to mean it this time, against the boss of the guys who stole your lucky charm. They’re my responsibility.”

“…Even if you say that, I’m not going to feel good about it.” Naegi replied.

“It ain’t about you. _I_ won’t feel like we’re even until you do at least that much.” Mondo declared, his tone and expression flat as a line.

Despite permissions, Naegi hesitated, like he was asked to rob a bank or kill somebody. Fucking Christ.

“I don’t get you.” Venomous rebuke dripped from his lips. “You say there are different ways to fight and you might be right. I mean, what do I know?” Not much. He was a doofus who had a hard future ahead of him. “But anyone that lets some punk take what’s precious to them without retaliating is a goddamn pussy, if you ask me.”

Naegi’s face twisted at the implication. That was good. There _was_ a spine in there. Of course, Mondo already knew that. If there wasn’t, Naegi would just be like every other wimp that wouldn’t have been bothered by him. Naegi didn’t run away, but he didn’t fight neither. What the fuck did he want?

That contradiction had plagued Mondo for days. “I dunno what you think about me, but I ain’t the type of bully to pick on the little guy and take his lunch money. Don’t fuck with me and I won’t fuck with you. Fuck with me and I’ll make sure you never do it again. But you won’t even throw a punch. No matter how I look at it, you’re weak.”

Mondo saw it again. That spirit of defiance, like Naegi became a different person. “I don’t believe that. As long as we can understand each other, there will always be a better option than fighting.”

Mondo snorts. A textbook answer coming from a good kid probably raised in a good home. “Alright. How’s _‘not’_ fighting been working out for you so far? Got your charm back yet?”

Naegi glares but stays silent and that’s enough.

The world ain’t fair or reasonable. You’ve gotta be thrown into the wild to see that. Some, like Mondo, get there much faster than others. “Sure, you won’t run, but all that ends up is you getting beat up and nothing for it. There’s nothing reliable about a meat shield. You gotta fight. it. It’s just one way you can get people to respect you, IF you use it properly.”

“I don’t think there’s anything _proper_ about what I’ve seen from _any_ of you.” Naegi’s words sting

“Never said I was perfect. But a guy who’s too nice _will_ get stomped on.” Whatever Naegi thinks of him won’t change that. “And you can’t tell me getting beat up by me and my boys all this time, hasn’t got you pissed.

Now hit me.” Mondo says one last time.

The blow comes before he notices. Mondo flinches, his head forcingly turned the other way and a light sting on his cheek.

A toothy, slightly aggravated grin forms on Mondo’s face. “Holy shit, that _was pathetic_.” Mondo faced Naegi, who was panting lightly. 

...

“Yeah. It sucked. Like I thought, I’m cut out for it.” He held his trembling hand; having struck Mondo with all the force he could muster. The sudden action was prompted by the provocation and the stress he’d accumulated over several days.

“You don’t have to become a battle maniac. Doing what you hate for the sake of other people. I think that’s a fine way of showing you appreciate them.”

“Maybe.” Naegi settles back onto the sofa.

One step at a time then. “As promised. I’ll get you that wallet of yours tomorrow and get the idiot twins to pay back whatever was in it.”

“Y-You mean it?” Naegi’s head rises as he’s practically glowing.

“It’s a man’s promise.”

“Thanks, Owada-kun!” It was strange being thanked by anybody. Being thanked for a situation like this was a whole new level of weird.

“Whatever. Pay me back by hitting the gym occasionally.” Seriously, it looked like the kid would get blown off by the wind. “Just tell me when you want to meet up later so I can hand it over.”

“We can just do it at school.”

“…What?”

“I knew it. You don’t recognize me at all.” Naegi sighed and hung his head low. “You might not have heard me before…but we’re classmates. I’m the Super High School Level Good Luck.”

“No fooling?” Mondo’s jaw dropped.

“You were only there for a little while…and I’m not surprised you didn’t remember me.” He sinks into depression. “A bit bummed maybe.”

Mondo scratched the back of his head. “My bad. I’ll definitely remember next time.” Yikes. Now I feel like a dick. Or he would if Naegi didn’t bounce back like the flip of a switch.

“…Why _don’t_ you come to class?” He asked.

“That school is a waste of time. I won’t learn anything there.”

The brunet presses his finger against his chin. “Does that mean there’s something you _want_ to learn? I can’t think of anything HPA couldn’t teach.”

Says him. What Hope’s Peak cared about was talent, and that alone. But Mondo’s talent was quickly approaching its limits in life. “…If you wanna know, I’ll tell ya, but you better not laugh. If you do, I can’t promise you’ll wake up again.”

“Owada-kun…I don’t think there’s anyone out there who’d laugh after that threat, even if it was funny.”

“Damn straight.” Mondo sneered. “Let me make one thing clear first: I love the Crazy Diamonds. My brother and I built the gang and I’ve given everything to them. But growing older, I know those days are gonna end sooner than later and I think about what I’ll do after that.” After graduation, what’s out there for a delinquent with his reputation? “There’s nothing, is there?”

That was one more consequence of doing whatever he felt like up until now.

“Sure, there is.” With a timid smile, Naegi rejects his conclusion. “It’s just my opinion but, you built a gang and even Hope’s Peak recognizes you. That couldn’t have been done without some skill or charisma. For all we know there’s a chance for you in management.”

“Management!?-…you’re fucking with me right now, are ya?” Mondo lowered and shook his head.

“Only a little.” Naegi scratches his cheeks. “I meant most of that though. If you’ve got enough dedication to make the Crazy Diamonds, you can put that passion into something else, and just as productive. Like Ishimaru-kun always says, you can do anything you put your mind to with effort. It’s never too late to improve yourself.”

“You really think so?” Mondo scans Naegi’s expression. There’s nothing ingenuine. Even on the chance that those words were empty, he believed them.

“I do…and I’m sure you know this, but you’ll have more options…if you come to class.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.” The gang leader was less enthusiastic about _that_…but this talking thing maybe ain’t so bad after all. If Naegi thought he could do it, why can’t he?

“I don’t usually talk about this kind of thing to anyone…” Mondo starts.

“Don’t worry, I won’t peep a word about any of this. It’s…a man’s promise.” Naegi said in a way the taller boy could only describe as unbelievably lame. Regardless, Naegi meant every word.

An honest to goodness idiot. Mondo’s opinion hasn’t changed. His types will get trampled over. That is to say, if they don’t have a buddy watching their back. 

“Heh. You’re starting to look pretty cool, Naegi.” Mondo smiled “Come on. I’ll give you a ride back to school.”

“What time is it?” Naegi blinked.

“Around 11.”

The luckster’s eyes dilated. “I’m breaking curfew!” He yelled.

“No biggie. _I just_ _said_ I’d give you a ride.” Mondo rolled his eyes.

“You drive? How old are you?”

“Never mind, you’re still a dweeb.” Mondo sighed. “Come on to the garage. I’ll show you my baby.” There were few things Mondo loved more than showing off his ride.

* * *

The roar of a motorcycle engine roared as Mondo zipped through cars on the road. A pair of thin arms latched onto him like a vice from behind.

“You done crying yet?!” Mondo half-yelled, half-laughed.

“Y-Yeah.” Naegi flushed, his throat hoarse from screaming bloody murder at the sharp turns. “I-It’s my first time on a bike!”

“Ya don’t fuckin say. How’s it feel now?”

“Terrifying…but it’s like a rollercoaster-scary!” It was only after several minutes passed, that Naegi figured Mondo had things under control as an experienced rider, even if it looked dangerous to him.

“That means you’re having fun.”

“Looks that way!” Naegi had never been on a bike ride before. He was breaking a few violations by disregarding a helmet. He lacked the safety of a car’s barriers. The combination of those factors spelled disaster where the unlucky student was concerned, and at this speed, holding onto Mondo was the only thing that kept him from getting blown away. Yet the surge of endorphins dominated the fear of potential consequences. “I feel…kinda free.” The strong wind blows his chestnut hair back.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Again, Mondo laughed.

Any animosity or awkwardness between them gave way to exhilaration.

“Owada-kun, about that question earlier. Do you have a brother?” Naegi asks, after a time.

Sharp kid, this one, if he’s still thinking about that. “Yeah, an older brother…his name’s Daiya. He and I were called the diamond brothers.” Good old times.

“Daiya…and…you’re…Mondo?”

“Uh…yeah?” Mondo raised an eyebrow. Then he heard repressed giggles behind him. “What’s so goddamn funny?”

“No-Nothing, nothing at all! Haha.”

“Well ‘_’nothing’_ is pissing me off!”

“Owada-kun, face front!” Naegi yelled.

Mondo whipped his head forward, swerving around another vehicle. The loud horns irritate his ears. “Whoops. Not totally used to having someone ride behind me.” Everyone in the Crazy Diamonds had their own bikes. Only instances he let any of them ride with him was if they’d gotten theirs broken somehow.

…

“I’ve decided. I wanna be a carpenter.” Mondo said.

“Huh? Where’d that come from?” 

“I’ve thought about it for a while. And talking with you actually makes it sound possible.” Mondo was glad to be facing front. Being this open with someone was uncomfortable. He’d never say it front of his close friends, but Naegi was in just the right spot. “I figured if I’m good at breaking stuff, I ought to be able to rebuild em, right?” Even without waiting for an answer, Mondo was confident he could succeed. “Yeah. Just watch! I'm gonna become the best carpenter you've ever seen!”

“Well, it's you, so I'm sure you can do it.” The passenger nods.

…

“What about you? A guy like you’s gotta have dreams, right?”

Naegi swayed his head. “No way, I haven’t thought about serious things like the future just yet. I’m still trying to get my feet grounded in this bizarre school life.”

Riiight. Mondo remembered. That lucky student deal was just a lottery. Jeez, what a rip. “Heh. That means I’m racing way ahead of you. Better hurry or you’ll get left behind.”

The lucky student smiled behind him. “I don’t mind if I get there slowly. As long as it’s a future I choose for myself, I’ll be happy.”

Naegi was content with a way of life irreconcilably disparate from Mondo’s…yet, “Big talk, but slack too much and you might never cross the finish line.”

“I will. One day. I’ll show you.”

The boy, in his unreliable countenance and fragility, spoke with conviction rivaling the biker’s earlier boast. Regardless of whether those words held weight or would be realized, for now, they were deserving of Mondo’s acknowledgement.

Mondo cast Makoto backwards glance. “When you get there…I’ll be waiting.” He says softly.

Red and blue lights interrupt the moment. Police sirens blare next. Mondo checked his mirror and confirmed they were indeed focused on him.

“Hold on tight. I’m kicking into high gear.”

“Huh? That’s the police! We can’t run away!” Naegi started shaking.

“Watch me…and if we get caught? Maybe you’ll learn why I ain’t cozy with the cops.”

“Why are they even after us?” Naegi had temporarily forgotten he was riding with the leader of a notorious gang.

“Happens every now and then, for whatever reason.” Mondo let out a malicious smirk. “By the way, you’re caught up in this too.”

“WHY?!”

“You ain’t wearing a helmet.” Which Mondo knew from the start.

“Is this payback? You’re still holding a grudge!”

“No comment.”

The engine blared and the bike moved faster than the back rider thought possible. They rode into a future filled with uncertainty, but one they aimed to make their own. A future they could be proud of.

* * *

“That should just about do it.” Makoto Naegi, Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, sleeves rolled up, brushes his palm against cloth, staining the fabric in oil. The smell of which he just knew would follow him the rest of the day. Before him is a (hopefully) working engine, his students scrapped together. It wasn’t how he planned on spending his afternoon.

“Let’s cross our fingers.” Makoto jumpstarts the engine. He smiles when it revs up, but his content Is overshadowed by the blonde teenager by his side.

“Yahoo! You’re the best, Naeggs!” Miu Iruma jumps for joy.

“Told you I had the right idea. A little luck was all we needed.” On the other side, Kokichi Ouma folds his arms behind his head. He was the reason Makoto had fallen into this very literal mess. The SHSL supreme leader had played a little prank by stealing his headmaster’s wallet. All to lure Makoto to the garage. “At least he’s more reliable than a fat cow like you, who makes random crap but somehow has no idea how to fix anything.”

“T-That’s not my fault. That junk is ancient and i-it’s not like I’m an Ultimate mechanic.” Miu quivered.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got experience. Stop bickering.” The energy it took to deal with those two wasn’t anything to sniff at. Their individual personalities were problematic enough. Still, Makoto smiles. “I haven’t tinkered with one of these in ages.”

“I totally thought you were gonna bitch and moan at us for skipping classes.” Miu speaks, and his verbal tolerance expands by magnitudes.

He had thought of it, after catching them playing hooky. But seeing they had productive reasons, Makoto hadn’t reprimanded them much. Kids will be kids, as they say. “Studies aren’t _everything_. Practical experience matters too, at times even moreso.”

Miu shoots him a look of surprise. “Whoa teach. That’s every high-school dropout’s big line.”

“Let’s not push it.”

With the back of his hand, Makoto wipes out the grime on his cheeks.

He lifts his head, gazing at the sky.

Bright, clear and forever out of his reach.

The ex-luckster looks downwards. While he was busy, apparently so was the third of his students.

“By the way. What’re you doing, Keebo-kun?” He asked, unsure of what to think, or what face to make at the sight of Keebo lying on a suspicious looking bed. Suspicious in the sense that:

  1. Kokichi brought it out from Miu’s laboratory.
  2. There was a canopy connected to it, with fluorescent lightbulbs shining down on Keebo

The Super High School Level Robot gives him a dismissal wave. “Do not worry about me. Kokichi advised I mentally prepare for the operation by experiencing what you humans call, ‘tanning beds’.”

Makoto blinked, then horror sunk in. “…You can’t get a tan. You’ll just overheat. Or Worse!”

Kokichi gasps in faux incredulity. “How _dare_ you? Informing Keeboy about a biological impossibility is robot discrimination. He has rights…supposedly.” The miscreant plays with his fingers.

“…Operation?” Makoto knitted eyebrows.

Keebo’s unable to see Miu’s "shut the fuck up!" signals in his current position and speaks. “Yes, Miu and Kokichi want to modify my body.”

Makoto slowly turns to the inventor “I thought the engine was for a bike…”

“Oh, it’ll get Keebs’ motor running alright!” An utter, fatal inability to read the mood.

“How do you manage to be both extremes of smart and stupid, Miu? It boggles the mind and I ain’t lying this time.” Kokichi’s face is every bit as neutral as Makoto’s. “What we’re _trying_ to do is add something actually fucking cool into that useless bot. We’re gonna make him a decepticon and enlist him in my evil army. And you can’t be a transformer if you can’t, you know, _transform_!”

_“_Ah, so Keebo _IS_ the bike_.”_ Makoto deadpanned.

“I shall be.” Keebo said, still in the tanning bed. “While I’m wary of Miu and Kokichi’s intentions, I too think changing forms is a ‘cool’ function.”

Makoto sported a wry, shadow of a smile. “And how many illegalities would be infringed during this operation? Please say none.”

Kokichi whistled.

Miu sweat bullets.

“Around 17. Sure to rise when robot rights become the norm.” Keebo explained.

Closed knuckles (lightly) slam against the skulls of the two teenage deviants.

“Son of a-” “That’s my golden brain you’re bashing over here!”

Makoto held Kokichi and Miu by their collars. “We’re going on a field trip to my office. Then we’re going to have a _long_ talk about experimenting on your classmates.”

"W-Will Mistress Kirigiri be joining us?" Miu looks up to him, her cheeks tinged pink and her perverted thoughts transparent.

...Goddammit.


End file.
